Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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47. To ask the Minister for Finance the position regarding economic growth (details supplied). [30515/14]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The European statistical agency, Eurostat, has agreed recommendations on the estimation and recording of illegal economic activities in recent years and now requires Member States to include estimates for illegal economic activities in the National Accounts by September 2014.

Section 13 of the 1993 Statistics Act provides that the Director General of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has sole responsibility for, and is independent in, the exercise of the functions of deciding the statistical methodology and professional statistical standards used by the Office, as well as the content of statistical releases and publications issued by the Office. Of course there are considerable challenges facing the CSO in accurately measuring illicit activities. I am informed by the CSO that statisticians use any available data that can produce a repeatable estimate for these activities over time. The illegal nature of these activities makes it particularly difficult to estimate their level and value. Consequently, the estimation methods used can only be expected to deliver approximations of the actual levels and value of activity. Data are obtained from a range of sources, including the Gardaí and organisations involved in the welfare of prostitutes or drug addicts. International research in these matters is also reviewed by the CSO.